Captured HD footage looks faded and dull

When capturing hd footage from my Sony HVR-A1U into Sony Vegas 9 (through firewire) or playing back (on a hdtv through hdmi) , I find the video always looks very dull (ie. very little contrast, no saturation).

Is this normal? I can fix all this in editing but why isn't the footage I see on the LCD (ie. it looks very good) and the footage I capture or see on TV the same?

I'm capturing in HD, all settings left at default, save for Cinematone, which is set to Type 2.

I'd like my footage to come out at least decently looking straight out of the camera.

[sean cronin]"why isn't the footage I see on the LCD (ie. it looks very good) and the footage I capture or see on TV the same?"
Because your viewfinder or LCD is not calibrated properly to reflect the video particularly if you are using manual settings.

[Brian Louis]"Because your viewfinder or LCD is not calibrated properly to reflect the video particularly if you are using manual settings.
"

Yup.
LCD viewfinders can make nearly any image -from well-exposed, all the way down to dim and lackluster- display to the eye as "great video."

The LCD viewfinders are OK for judging framing, just passible for judging focus, and sometimes disastrously inadequate for judging exposure and color.

When I'm shooting on a tripod indoors, I still shoot using a calibrated CRT monitor (sitting next to the camera, connected to the camera's SD output) as my monitor.
The CRT will show me an image that is much more accurate as to focus, color and exposure, so I can make those judgments on-the-fly as I shoot.